Digestive tract toxicity associated with exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in rats

Autor: V.C.B.S. Mariotti, I.Z.F. Naufal, I.A.R. Amorim, J.L.S. Parizi, G.A. Nai
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, Vol 55 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1414-431X
1414-431x
DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x2022e12350
Popis: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a herbicide of the chlorophenoxy class and the second most widely used herbicide applied to several different crops worldwide. Environmental factors, especially those related to diet, strongly affect the risk of developing cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. There is currently no evidence to determine whether there is an association between 2,4-D exposure and gastrointestinal disorders. We evaluated the histological effect of chronic oral and inhalation exposure to 2,4-D on the digestive tract of rats. Eighty male adult albino Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups (n=10): two control groups, one for inhalation and one for oral exposure, and 6 groups exposed orally or by inhalation at three different concentrations of 2,4-D [3.71×10-3 grams of active ingredient per hectare (gai/ha), 6.19×10-3 gai/ha, and 9.28×10-3 gai/ha]. The animals were exposed for 6 months. The esophagus, stomach, and intestine were collected for histopathological analysis. Animals exposed to 2,4-D had hyperkeratosis of the esophagus, regardless of the exposure route. All animals exposed to a higher concentration of 2,4-D orally presented mild dysplasia of the large intestine. In the small intestine, most animals exposed to moderate and high concentrations of 2,4-D had mild dysplasia. No gastric changes were observed in any of the groups studied. Chronic exposure to 2,4-D, especially at moderate and high concentrations, regardless of the exposure route, caused reactive damage to the esophagus (hyperkeratosis) and dysplastic changes to the intestine.
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